May 6, 2010
Hong Kong - Two former TNS regional directors have struck out to launch an independent research outfit providing multi-country project management and data collection.
Radar Global, launched by its two managing partners Grant Beuzeval (pictured) and Nicole Hessing, aims to take a slice of the specialist "services only" research sector, which Beuzeval described as largely untapped.
The new company will specialise in computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI) as well as online projects and will initially hunt for outsourced projects from the bigger research groups.
Beuzeval said Radar has invested heavily in technology and developed a web-based platform to facilitate the recruitment, training, management, monitoring and payment of a dispersed CATI workforce that guarantees "critical consistency and compliance".
He said the research industry was facing a "lack of trust in data collection" and added Radar's aim is to restore trust by making its research projects highly transparent.
"Everyone has aspirations to fix that, but the only way we could could do it was by going out on our own. We saw the writing on the wall and decided to put an offering out there," he said.
The company also plans to move on the business research market.
"The emerging markets are booming and the market research industry is lagging in sophistication and distinction in capturing and conveying the opinions and attitudes of decision makers and important customers," Beuzeval said.
"We've addressed the important issues that have long been ignored."